A “triumph of the female sex, jewel of Italy and sun of Europe” – that is how Carlo Malvesi described Elisabetta Sirani, who died in 1665 at the age of only 27, in his biography published in 1678. He was not the only admirer of this extraordinary young woman, who left behind not only 200 paintings, but also an art academy for women that she had founded, the first of its kind in Europe. At that time, the world of art – just like the world of politics and religion – was a male bastion. The great masters – Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio – had no female counterparts. The few exceptions – besides Sirani, Artemisia Gentileschi, for example – had to fight to receive education, which was usually only available in their father’s studio. This was also the case with the girl Elisabetta, who was instructed in the art of painting by Giovanni Andrea Sirani. Already as a teenager, she developed her own style, both artistic and technical, and skillfully built an international network of clients and benefactors. At the beginning of her all-too-short career, she was able to rely almost exclusively on female patrons – an early case of feminist solidarity. She kept detailed records of her ideas, paintings, and sales, and at 18 she took over the management of her father’s studio. Only nine years later, she died from the consequences of an untreated stomach ulcer, as a “Maestra” mourned by all of Europe.